We’re a custom digital shop. We exist to create a competitive advantage for clients who know the difference.

Global blue chips, challenger brands and everyone in between hire us when they require speed-to-innovation, industry adaptability and cross-platform agility. Sometimes they just need brute force or a fresh perspective. We have a reputation for delivering.

Over the past 12 years, we've been trusted to obsessively research, design and build transformational experiences and digital products. We've built healthcare software, intranets for 300k users, crowdfunding platforms, interactive retail experiences, financial modelers - and everything in between.

Our work is always tricky, integrated with legacy data, limited by scope or calendar, mired in a list of user stories, all the things. When you boil it down, we offer execution. We have a battle tested team that knows how to too see the way through, quickly.

We're known for the clarity that project speed demands.

If you have a problem (do you?), if no one else can help (or if they're weird) and if you can find us (you just did), maybe you can hire Northern Ground (you can).

12 years ago we left the agency where we met and headed for Northern Ground.

Ryan Janecek, Jay Beckman and Matt Retzer, strategy, design and development respectively, are the three legs of the stool. Interdisciplinary set of talent needed to succeed at just about any digital project - smart, creative or powerful. Over the years each Founder has built up their team within their leg, prioritizing driven people with diverse experience sets.

We’re not idealists.

The work we do is very practical, designed to accomplish straightforward goals like drive awareness and make money (while operating as expected and not costing a leg or an arm), but the internet is full of garbage and it’s nice to deliver work that rises above it. Goes further, does more, looks better, easier to use, faster, smarter. If our name has any meaning it’s maybe just this. Ambition + practicality.

For us, it’s important that the people you are talking to are the people doing the work, so we’ve stayed small. Our team bolts-on to yours, creating deep value and velocity. We scale up when we need to. We partner when we want to.

We compress the most talent into the smallest number of people.

Our space is a silent partner.

Months before a global pandemic, we asked ourselves if we should buy a building. The answer was waiting beneath the most recognizable landmark in the city, the Allen Bradley (Rockwell) Clock Tower, fondly called Polish Moon by locals, as a tribute to the immigrants that established Milwaukee's south side. Built in 1882. Empty for years. Then a chocolate factory. Transformed by us in 2020.

An inspiring space for co-creation.

Former gothic church. Centrally located in Milwaukee’s Historic Walker’s Point. 3 floors of workspace. 9,500 sq. ft., 5 bathrooms, full kitchen + 1,500 sq. ft. deck. fiber, wifi everywhere, heavy power, secure digital access. ADA accessible. Private parking. Shit-ton of plants. 3,000 sq. ft. content studio with a loading dock, ramp and garage door, full pull-in.

We’ve welcomed clients from around the world. We look forward to your visit.